


One. Two. THREE!

by TechnicalMachine



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Arrested Character, Believed Character Death, Buried Alive, Gaslighting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Temporary Character Death, Well - Freeform, how does one tag these things, i guess, post-continuity (season 1), technically, that one seems important to mention, um...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 15:57:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 13,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20491439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnicalMachine/pseuds/TechnicalMachine
Summary: A late night phone call leads to a terrifying realization.Honestly, the author has no clue how to summarize.





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> I legit have no idea how to use this site (I’ve only ever used it for reading). So, please let me know if I need to add tags or anything.

“No, don’t! It’s a trap!” Kai’s eyes shot open. He flung himself into a sitting position with gasp. Silence.  
“Still in my room,” he mumbled. “Well, duh. Where else would I be?” He shook his head. His eyes landed on the trophy on his shelf. “Oh, right. There. Must’ve had a nightmare.” Out of nowhere, he felt the desperate need to talk to Adam and Mira. Now. He scrabbled for his phone on the bedside table. He didn’t even bother to check the time before opening his contacts and hitting the first name listed.  
Ring. Ring. Ring.  
“You’ve reached Adam-“  
Click.  
“Duh, it’s like the middle of the night!” Kai chastised himself. “Nobody’s gonna answer the phone this late.” He glared down at the offending smartphone; the screen lit up, and the default ringtone rang out. Kai juggled his phone for a few seconds before successfully hitting the answer button.  
“Hello?”  
“Kai, hey!”  
“Adam?” he really needed to learn to check caller ID.  
“Yeah, sorry I missed your call. I was in the other room. What’s up?”  
“Oh.” Kai suddenly felt embarrassed. Who calls their friend in the middle of the night over a nightmare they don’t even remember? “It’s nothing, really. Just... felt like I was supposed to call you?”  
“Huh.” Adam was silent for a moment. “Is it about The Hollow?”  
“I mean, I guess? I had a nightmare, but I don’t really remember it.”  
“I think I know what you mean. We must’ve played dozens of games to get to the championship, but none have affected us like this.”  
“Well,” Kai grumbled, “I don’t remember thinking I was watching you both die in any earlier games.” He could practically hear Adam wince on the other side of the phone.  
“Me neither. To be honest, I don’t remember much of anything from the other games. I guess this last one was just that much crazier.”  
“Maybe,” Kai replied skeptically.  
“Hold on,” Adam suddenly spoke. “Mira’s calling me. Is it cool if I add her to the call?”  
“Go ahead,” Kai was actually relieved to hear from her, but he wasn’t about to say that out loud.  
“Hey Mira. Kai’s here, too.”  
“‘Sup, Mira?”  
“Hey Kai. Adam,” Mira’s voice came through the phone. Kai smiled to himself.  
‘See,’ he thought, ‘they’re both totally fine. Chill out... me.’  
“So, Mira,” Adam asked, “What did you need?”  
“Oh, right!” She paused for a moment. “It’s weird, but... I just felt like I was supposed to call you. That’s super weird, right?”  
“Nah,” Kai assured her. “I called him for the same reason.”  
“Let me guess,” Adam smirked audibly. “The Hollow?”  
“Yeah,” Mira replied, almost sheepish.  
“Me too,” Kai reassured. “It’s weird. It feels like it shouldn’t be affecting us like this, ya know?”  
“Yeah,” Mira and Adam replied in unison.  
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It’s like... something feels wrong about it,” Kai explained.  
“You mean, other than the crazy glitching?” Mira asked with a hint of sarcasm.  
“Well, yeah. Speaking of, did you guys see Vanessa’s eye?” Kai asked. “After we got out, I mean.”  
“No.” Adam sounded confused. “What about it?”  
“It... glitched.”  
“What?!” Mira shouted. Kai winced at the volume.  
“Yeah, like the game was doing!” Kai was getting a little worked up remembering it.  
“Do you think she could’ve brought some sort of cheating device into the game?” Adam questioned. “Maybe that’s what caused all the glitches?”  
“Or,” Mira interjected. “Maybe it’s because the other kids didn’t get out the way we did? Maybe it was a side effect of getting caught in that glitchy wall.”  
“That’s not the only thing that was weird.” Kai added. “The crowd was weird, too. It’s kinda hard to describe.”  
“I didn’t notice anything weird about them,” Adam sounded really concerned now. Kai considered dropping it, but...  
“Something was definitely off,” he insisted. “It’s freaking me out. I’m starting to feel like maybe this isn’t-“  
He cut off with a scream.


	2. Death and Exposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai reunites with a familiar figure and finally finds out what’s going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two, and I need to go back and add a tag already. Woo!

“Kai? KAI!” Adam and Mira called desperately through the phone. Kai sat up blearily.  
“What happened?” He whimpered as he looked around. He was still in his room, but something was... off... about it. It looked both the same and different. He stood. “What am I doing on the floor?”  
He reached for his phone to let Adam and Mira know that he was fine, but paused. His hand looked wrong. Almost cartoony. Like it had back in The Hollow.  
“What the..?” He grabbed his phone, but when he tried to pick it up, he instead lifted a less realistic version of it. The original still lay on the bed. He lifted the one in his hand to his ear. Nothing. He pocketed it and bent over the one still on the bed. He could hear Adam and Mira talking.  
“I’m going over there!” Adam was saying.  
“Me too!”  
“Guys, I’m fine,” Kai called into the phone. They didn’t respond; they just kept arguing about how dangerous it might be. “What the heck is going on?”  
“Ah, Kai!” A familiar voice came from behind him.  
Kai shouted and whipped around.  
“Geez, kid. Not so loud. My poor eardrums!”  
“Weirdy?!” Kai whisper-shouted. Better not irritate the guy, he figured.  
“The one and only,” Weirdy replied with a grin. “I’m surprised you were the first one to figure it out. I was sure it would be Mira. Good thing I didn’t put money down on it.”  
“Realize wha-“ Kai paused. “Wait. I was right? It wasn’t real?”  
“You got it!” Weirdy grinned again, but it looked forced.  
“Wha? But, we WON!” Kai protested. “We’re supposed to be home!”  
“Well...” Weirdy sighed. “Let me level with you kid.  
“There are supposed to be three stages to The Hollow. The winner of the previous stage gets an advantage on the next, and everyone’s supposed to get a break from the game at the halfway point for snacks and such. That way, we get three episodes out of one game, and parents aren’t annoyed we made their kids play a video game for up to 15 hours straight.  
“But! The glitching was... concerning. We tried to change the win conditions so everyone could leave the game after the first stage. Unfortunately, instead of releasing the players, it activated the fail-safe.”  
“Fail-safe?” Kai asked. “What fail-safe?”  
“You’re making it real hard to be cryptic, kid,” Weirdy sighed again. “The fail-safe is an old stage we were supposed to remove because of it’s... ‘questionable legality.’”  
“WHAT?!” Kai was really nervous now.  
“It’s technically considered gaslighting. The stage tricks you into believing you’ve returned to the real world. The adventure restarts when every player has discovered the truth. Instead of removing it, we added it in as a fail-safe area to send players who need a break from the high stakes of the game. It’s supposed to act as a break room of sorts if a kid starts having a panic attack or something.  
“Unfortunately, the corruption caused by the cheaters has forced the game to treat the fail-safe like a normal level. You’re all stuck here until you realize it’s not real. On your own.”  
“That’s insane!” Kai was getting really freaked out. “Why would you-“  
The door swung open before he could finish his thought. At that, Weirdy vanished.


	3. A Moment of Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam and Mira do a bit of breaking and entering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really short, but it didn’t feel right to me to combine it with one of the other chapters.

While Kai and Weirdy were speaking in Kai’s room, Adam and Mira were having a discussion of their own.  
“Kai, answer us!” Adam cried. There was no response. “I’m going over there!”  
“Me too!” Mira replied.  
“No way. It’s too dangerous!”  
“Which is why you shouldn’t go alone,” Mira argued. “This isn’t The Hollow; you don’t have crazy fighting abilities anymore!”  
“But,” Adam paused. She was right, after all. The safest thing to do would be to go together. “Okay. We’ll meet up outside Kai’s house.”  
“Right.” Mira hung up.  
Adam quickly threw on some real clothes and a jacket and rushed out the door.  
A few minutes later, he reached Kai’s front porch. Mira was already there, having forgone the change of clothes. She just pulled on a jacket over her pajamas in her rush to get to Kai.  
“Okay, on three,” Adam said. “One.”  
The two stood in front of the door.  
“Two.”  
Adam put his hand on the knob and twisted. It was unlocked.   
“THREE!”  
The two pushed the door open and stumbled into the house. The living room was completely empty, and the lights were out.  
“He’s probably in his room,” Mira whispered. Adam nodded. The two crept up the stairs to Kai’s door. Adam pressed his ear against the door.  
“It’s quiet,” he muttered to Mira. He carefully turned the knob. The door swung open.  
They found Kai laying on the floor, unmoving.  
“KAI!” Mira screamed. The two rushed to their fallen friend. Mira shakily placed two fingers on his neck; Adam held a hand in front of his nose to check for breath.   
“Nothing,” he announced shakily.  
“No pulse.” Mira looked to Adam in desperation.  
“He can’t be...” Adam turned back to Kai. He looked pale, but otherwise totally unharmed. “What happened?”  
Kai, meanwhile, was trying desperately to let his friends know he wasn’t dead.  
“Guys! I’m right here! That’s not me!” He waved a hand in front of Adam’s face. “Adam! Look up, I’m right here.” Now they were both crying. “GUYS!”   
No reaction. ‘Okay,’ Kai thought as he backed away. ‘So, they can’t hear or see me, and I can’t move things around... I guess this is what Weirdy meant about them having to figure it out on their own.’ He sighed to himself.  
“Hurry it up, guys,” he urged. “I don’t wanna be stuck waiting here forever.”


	4. Mira’s Next

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira’s still the best at puzzles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, maybe I should’ve combined this one with the last one. I’m too stubborn I guess. Needless to say, another short chapter.

“He’s not injured,” Adam noted. “It doesn’t make sense! People don’t just die for no reason!”  
“Adam,” Mira pleaded.  
“He’s too young to have a heart attack, Mira. It’s like he just collapsed.”  
“What about the screaming?” Mira argued, tears rolling down her face. “Something hurt him.”  
“But why?” Adam started pacing the small bit of unoccupied floor space. “And how did they leave no trace?”  
“Maybe,” Mira started, “maybe it has something to do with what we were talking about?”  
“But, we were just talking about The Hollow,” Adam pointed out. “ It’s a game show, not the mob. They don’t do hits on people.”  
“I know, but we weren’t JUST talking about The Hollow,” Mira argued. “Remember? He said something about Vanessa’s eye. And the crowd”  
“But what does that mean?”  
“He said that he was starting to think ‘this isn’t.’” Mira looked at Adam with a lost expression. “What isn’t? Isn’t what?”  
“I don’t know...” Adam hung his head. Mira was quiet. She had to find the connection. ‘A glitching eye. A weird audience. “This isn’t.” What could it mean? Maybe...’  
“I got it! It’s kinda crazy, but maybe he was trying to say that this isn’t r-“  
Before she could finish, Mira started screaming.  
“Mira?!” Adam knelt beside her. “Mira, what’s wrong? MIRA!”  
The screaming stopped, and she fell limp. Adam caught her and gently lowered her to the ground.  
“Mira?” he whispered. Hands shaking, he pressed two fingers to her neck. No pulse.


	5. Not Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai and Mira have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is also kinda short. I promise they’re not all like that!

“Finally!” Kai’s voice rang out.  
‘Kai?’ Mira forced her eyes open. Standing above her was Kai, but not the way she’d just seen him. For one, he was definitely not dead. Arguably more importantly, he had the cartoonish look of his avatar in The Hollow.  
“Kai?” Mira groaned aloud. Kai smiled and offered a hand to help her up. She took it. “What’s going on? Are we dead?!” Kai chuckled at her panicked expression.  
“No, we’re not dead!” Then he grimaced. “We’re just... still in The Hollow.”  
“WHAT!” Mira nearly fell backwards at the revelation, but Kai grabbed her arm to stabilize her.  
“Remember what happened? You realized it wasn’t real, then you woke up here.”  
“Hold on,” Mira interjected. “I didn’t know that. I just figured out that that’s what YOU were saying!”  
“Guess it counts,” Kai shrugged. “The point is, we never left The Hollow.”  
“But, we won!”  
“That’s what I said!” Kai looked annoyed. “Apparently there are more levels. When they tried to pull us out early, we got stuck in a fail-safe. We have to play the rest to get out.”  
“Wait.” Mira gave him a skeptical look. “How do you even know all this?”  
“Weirdy told me.”  
“Weirdy’s here?”  
“Yeah. Apparently, the only way to beat this level is to figure out it’s fake. You have to do it on your own, though.” Kai looked to his left. Mira followed his gaze. Adam was crouching between the two quote-unquote “bodies” laying on the floor. He was definitely panicking.  
“So, we can’t tell him we’re okay? We just have to leave him like that?” Mira felt a heavy, guilty feeling in her stomach.  
“Yeah,” Kai sighed. He sat down next to Adam and put a hand on his shoulder. Adam didn’t react at all. He just kept talking to himself. “Adam’s smart though. He’ll figure it out soon... right?”  
“Right,” Mira declared more confidently than she really felt. “We just have to wait.”  
The two shared a concerned look. Who knew how long it would take? Adam had to find the connection between the two “deaths” and piece together exactly what the two were trying to say. That could take a long time.  
Then they heard a scream and a thud.


	6. Adam Figures It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam finally figures out what happened.

“MIRA!” Adam screamed. He was really panicking now. He’d already lost Kai; he couldn’t lose Mira, too. “Think, Adam, think!  
“Both of them died in the same way, right? They must’ve. No signs of injury on either one, both screamed before they died, and Mira died trying to tell me what Kai had died saying.  
“So, whatever Kai said is what killed them. What was he trying to say?  
“I know he thought of it because he saw Vanessa’s eye glitch, and there was something wrong with the audience at The Hollow.” Adam didn’t realize he was still speaking out loud; he was too caught up in his thoughts to pay much attention to the world around him.  
“He also said that something ‘isn’t’ something. Specifically ‘this isn’t’ something. Maybe ‘this’ refers to what’s going on now? Or, what was going on then I guess. Or maybe, ‘this’ means everything. ‘Everything isn’t...’ Isn’t what?  
“Wait. Vanessa glitched. The audience was wrong. Kai and Mira just died with no explanation. We can’t remember the previous games.” Adam paused to look around the room he was in.  
“Kai and Mira both screamed in this room, but Kai’s parents didn’t investigate. All the doors were unlocked... Nothing makes sense, unless.” Adam lifted his head.  
“Unless this isn’t real!”  
Adam let out a long, ear splitting-scream. Not long after, he blacked out.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Adam became aware of voices before he could see. His eyelids felt like they were sewn shut.  
“Wow, that was faster than I expected,” Kai said.  
“He even figured it out for real,” Mira replied. “I only figured out what you were trying to tell us.”  
Adam blinked and opened his eyes. Kai and Mira were crouched on either side of him, but they looked different. Like they were in The Hollow. ‘Guess I was right,’ Adam thought.  
“Shouldn’t be long now,” Kai posited. “Only took you a second to wake up.”  
“Kai?” Adam groaned and tried to sit up. “Mira?”  
“Adam!” The other two exclaimed. Kai gave him a hand standing up.  
“How are you feeling?” Kai barely got the question out before Adam had practically tackled him in a hug.  
“Relieved.” Kai couldn’t help but laugh as he hugged Adam back.  
“Not what I meant, but okay,” Kai joked when he let go. Adam immediately moved to hug Mira, too. “You figured it all out, then?” Adam let Mira go and grimaced.  
“Sorta,” he admitted. “We’re still in The Hollow, for some reason, right?”  
“We’ll fill you in.” Mira put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s kinda complicated.


	7. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventure continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the next chapter is longer. Unless you like short chapters... in which case, I’m sorry, but the next chapter is longer.

“I guess that explains why the other kids knew they were in a game already.” Adam’s friends fixed him with a strange look.  
“What do you mean?” Mira asked.  
“Kai said Weirdy called them cheaters, right? That would explain why they knew what was going on and we didn’t.”  
“Hey!” Kai exclaimed. “You’re right! Which means...” He paused. “Um... it means...”  
“It means,” Mira interrupted, “that the other kids caused the corruption in the game’s code!”  
“I knew that,” Kai claimed. “I just... lost my train of thought!” He was silent for a moment. “Wait. If we’re still in The Hollow, does that mean..?” He snapped and grinned as a fire jumped to life in his hand. “Yes!”  
“Good call, Kai!” Adam remarked. Kai grinned at him and began juggling fireballs. Adam was thinking about lifting something heavy to test his strength when Mira spoke up.  
“To bad there are no animals nearby. Or water. Right, Adam?” She suddenly jolted as she turned toward him. “Adam, look!” Mira pointed at him. Adam looked down at himself quickly. All he noticed was that he was back in his clothes from the game. Thinking on it, so were Mira and Kai.  
“Whoa. Weird.”  
“Not that!” Mira insisted. “On your back!”  
Adam glanced over his shoulder to see the Ishibo tied to his back again.  
“No way!” He took the Ishibo in his hands and spun it.  
“Weirdy did say the winning team has an advantage,” Kai pointed out, snuffing the flames in his hands. “Maybe that’s what he meant?”  
“Yeah, but... an advantage for what?” Mira asked. The three looked at each other. “What are we supposed to do?” The three sat in silence for a moment.  
“We could try calling Weirdy,” Adam suggested. “Maybe our ‘power points’ or whatever reset?”  
“It’s worth a shot,” Mira conceded.  
“Help, please!” Kai called.  
“I thought you’d never ask!” Adam, Kai, and Mira shouted in alarm as Weirdy appeared behind them. “Adam, Mira! Good to have you on board! Now that everyone is on the same page...” He glanced between them as if to confirm. All three kids nodded. “Great! Congrats on beating level two! Now, you can begin the final level!” Weirdy snapped, and a portal opened up under the kids’ feet.  
“Can’t say I missed this!” Adam shouted as the three fell. The portal snapped shut behind them.  
“Now, where did they end up this time,” Weirdy muttered to himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, then smirked. “Oh, they’re not gonna like this one.” He snapped again and vanished, leaving the room and the “bodies” behind.


	8. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Level three begins! But where did the kids end up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A character is buried alive in this chapter. Just a warning.

Kai woke up in a jail cell. Admittedly, he wasn’t too concerned at first. It was far from the first time he’d woken up in a stone room with no easy means of escape.  
“Adam, Mira, are you guys alright?” No response. That’s when he got worried. He sat up and examined the room. He noticed three things one after another.  
First, he was completely alone. No Adam, no Mira, no guard. Two of those things were more concerning than the third.  
Second, the room had nothing else in it, either. Just 3 brick walls and a wall of bars. It was a completely generic jail cell. Through the bars, he could see across the hall into another cell. That one was completely empty. His pocket felt empty, too. Didn’t he grab his phone earlier? It was when he tried to check his pocket that he noticed the third and final thing.  
He probably should’ve noticed this first, but his hands were completely encased in some kind of weird metal shackles. Not good. He could barely feel his fingers, let alone start a fire. He spent a few minutes attempting it anyway. The metal barely even warmed.  
Kai’s conclusion? He was alone and helpless in an empty room with no clear means of escape. Which is when he panicked.  
“Adam! Mira! Are you there?” Kai called. Best case scenario, they were not in jail, but knew where he was. That was highly unlikely, though. The more likely case was that they were in another cell. “ADAM! MIRA!”  
“QUIET!” A tall lizard-like creature came into view through the bars. Kai fell backwards with a yelp. The creature was dressed in thick metal armor. A guard.  
“Where are my friends?” Kai dragged himself to his knees in an attempt to seem less helpless. He may be trapped, but he wasn’t about to let this guy think he was scared. Until, that is, the guard poked a spear through the bars and tapped Kai’s chest with it.  
“If it’ll shut you up, human,” the guard hissed, lifting his spear. “I’ll tell you this. There are no other humans here. Trespassers are immediately imprisoned. If your “friends” were in Eler, they’d be here.”  
“You’re lying!” Kai shouted. They came through the portal together. How could they be separated? The guard jabbed the spear through the bars again. Kai fell back to avoid it.  
“Watch your tone, prisoner,” the guard ordered. “I do not lie. Now be silent!”  
Kai shut his mouth. He took a moment to consider the situation. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense for the guard to be telling the truth. If Adam and Mira had been nearby, they would’ve heard him, right? And the guard seemed more offended about being accused of lying than angry he’d spoken in general. Meaning he was stuck in jail with no friends, no fire, and a guard he’s already managed to anger.  
‘Great,’ Kai let his back hit the wall behind him. ‘How am I supposed to get out of this without Adam and Mira? I thought this was supposed to be a team game!’ He sighed, earning a glare from the guard. He quickly clammed up again. ‘Guess I’m on my own for now. What am I gonna do?’

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Mira woke up in a bed. She blinked and stared at the ceiling. ‘Did I dream all that?’ She wondered. She sat up and examined the room.  
“Nope, not a dream,” she grumbled. The room she was in was unfamiliar. There were photos of strange, lizard-like creatures in the frames on the wall. ‘Lizard-people?’ she thought. She tried to get out of bed, but she was still weak from the portal. She stumbled back and sat on the edge of the bed; she lifted a hand to her forehead.  
At that moment, the door opened. One of the lizard-creatures from the photos entered.  
“Oh, my!” The lizard-woman cried, rushing to Mira. “You mustn’t try to get up yet, dear. You were in rough shape out there!”  
“What happened?” Mira felt she could trust the woman. It was kind of like the animals back in level one.  
“I’m not entirely sure,” the lizard-woman replied. “I was out on my daily walk when I found you collapsed in the sand at the edge of town. You are lucky I found you before the guards! Trespassers are strictly forbidden in Eler since the sunstone was stolen!”  
“Wait, what?” Mira frowned up at her rescuer. “What’s the sunstone?”  
“Well, my dear,” the woman began, “the sunstone is a powerful artifact that protects our kingdom from winter. We simply cannot survive the cold here. We’re cold-blooded, you know.”  
“Oh,” Mira said. She was about to ask what happened to it when she realized that she hadn’t heard anything about Adam or Kai yet. “Um, you didn’t happen to find my friends as well, did you?”  
“Friends?” The woman seemed a little nervous.  
“Yeah, two boys. Human. We were, um, traveling together.” Mira explained.  
“No dear, I haven’t seen any other humans here since the robber. Did either of your friends have white eyes and the ability to move objects without touching them?”  
‘Reeve,’ The prospect of encountering the other kids again was not a pleasant one. “No ma’am, but I know him. He’s uh... an enemy of mine.”  
“Oh, good,” the woman sighed. “Bad enough to illegally harbor a human trespasser, but to help an ally of the thief! I’d be jailed for life!”  
“I really appreciate the help, uh...” Mira hesitated. The woman had never introduced herself.  
“Oh, silly me! I’m Dorsalis, though you may call me Dory,” the woman, Dory, replied. “And you, dear?”  
“I’m Mira. My friends are Kai and Adam; are you sure you haven’t heard anything about them?”  
“Did you say ‘Adam?’” Dory seemed almost shaken.  
“Um, yes?” Mira replied nervously. That didn’t sound good.  
“Well, Mira, I’ve heard of your friend, but not in the way you are thinking.” Dory paused, as though she were steeling herself. “Have you heard of the local prophecy?”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Adam woke up underground. Dirt pressed against his face, blocked from his mouth and nose by his hands. Adam did the only reasonable thing in a situation like that. He panicked. Clawing at the dirt covering him, Adam dug his way to the surface. Finally, he broke through the ground above him and dragged himself out of the hole, panting. Around him was a graveyard.  
“Not another cemetery,” he groaned. The hole he crawled out of was unmarked. “Makes sense,” he muttered. “They don’t know me here.” Then he remembered.  
Scrambling to his feet, Adam cupped his hands around his mouth.  
“KAI!” Adam shouted. “MIRA! Where are you?!” Before he could keep shouting, someone cried out behind him. He whirled around to find a strange lizard-like creature staring at him slack-jawed. The creature wore overalls and carried a shovel. It occurred to Adam that this must be the gravedigger. The lizard-man pointed at him.  
“You! But, you’re dead!” The man cried.  
“Ah, it’s just a misunderstanding,” Adam held his hands up placatingly. “I was just knocked out. Can you tell me where my friends are?” He really hoped the lizard-man hadn’t buried Kai and Mira, too. He wasn’t sure they could escape without super-strength.  
“Other humans?” The lizard-man calmed slightly. “Ain’t seen no other humans since the thief!”  
“Thief?” Adam couldn’t imagine Mira or Kai stealing anything. Still, it was worth asking about. “What thief?”  
“The human that stole the sunstone!” The gravedigger cried. “He had them white eyes and spooky powers, just like the prophecy said!’  
“Prophecy? Spooky powers?” Adam only grew more confused. Taking a step forward, he settled on a question to start with. “What kind of powers?”  
“He could move things without even touching ‘em!” The man seemed terrified of the idea. “He stole our precious sunstone yesterday! No humans been allowed since!”  
“Reeve? He stole from you?”  
“One of yer friends, was he?” The lizard-man eyed him suspiciously.  
“More like an enemy.” Adam wasn’t pleased with idea of interacting with Reeve again. The guy nearly killed him last time. “Why would he want to steal this ‘sunstone?’”  
“To doom us, I’m sure!” The man didn’t seem suspicious of him anymore, just angry. “The sunstone keeps the winter away! It don’t do nothin’ else. We’ll all freeze without it!” Adam winced. Reeve did seem like the kind of person who would steal something like that whether he was sure he needed it or not.  
“Don’t worry! I’ll find it for you. I just need to find Kai and Mira first. Do you know where they might be?” The man shook his head.  
“No other humans been here.”  
“Oh.” Adam slumped. How was he supposed to solve this on his own?  
“What’s your name, boy? If I hear about your friends, I’ll let you know.”  
“I’m Adam,” Adam replied, holding out his hand to shake. The man looked at him much like he had when Adam crawled out of that unmarked grave.  
“Did you say ‘Adam?’” The man asked slowly. Adam let his hand fall.  
“Uh, yeah?” Adam took a half step back. Something was wrong here.  
“The prophecy,” the man mumbled.  
“What?”  
“We need to take you to see the king,” the gravedigger latched his hand around Adam’s wrist.  
“Hey, wait!” Adam cried “What about Kai and Mira? Let go!” He yanked his arm from the man’s grip.  
“The prophecy, boy!” the lizard-man shouted. “You must see the king! He will help you! Then you will help us!” Adam blinked at the man.  
“You’re sure he can help me?” he asked.  
“Yes, hurry boy!” The lizard-man grabbed his arm again. This time, Adam allowed himself to be lead out of the cemetery.  
“I hope you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may be wondering, "Why is Adam the one in the prophecy? Why not one of the other two?" Well, Kai would let it go to his head, and Mira wouldnt appreciate the pressure. That's my reasoning.


	9. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids reunite with new information and a place to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was probably my favourite to write. I finally got to explore an idea with Kai that I’d been thinking about since finishing the show.

Kai was still brainstorming an escape plan when a new lizard-creature approached his cell and struck up a conversation with the guard. Sensing an opportunity, Kai strained to hear the conversation, but the lizard-people spoke too quietly. He considered moving closer, but the memory of the guard’s spear held him back.  
After a moment, the guard stepped away and the stranger approached the bars. There was the sound of old gears turning and the wall slowly opened to grant the new lizard-creature access.  
‘That can’t be good.’  
The door remained open as the stranger entered the room. Kai could only assume it was so his guest could make a quick exit if needed.  
“Stand, prisoner,” the stranger ordered. Deciding to play along, Kai slowly rose to his feet. It was difficult without the use of his hands, but he eventually got there. “Tell me,” said the stranger. “Where is the sunstone?”  
“The what?” Kai asked. The stranger seemed angry at that response. Before Kai could react, they grabbed his shoulder and slammed him against the wall.  
“The sunstone!” they cried. “I know you are working with the thief! Tell me where it is!”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Kai attempted to escape their hold, but they had him pinned firmly against the wall. “Let go of me!”  
“Don’t think I’ll buy that innocent act!” The stranger grabbed Kai’s chin and forced him to look into their eyes. “Tell me what you and your accomplice did with it!”  
“I told you! I don’t know!” Kai shouted back. The stranger dug their claws in where they held him, making him cry out.  
“Tell me where the sunstone is!”  
“I said LET GO!” Kai cried. Without warning, his whole body burst into flames. The stranger dropped him and cradled their burnt hands to their chest. Seeing an opening, Kai bolted for the open door. The guard swung out his spear to stop him, but Kai just ran through it, setting it on fire.  
“STOP!” cried the guard. An alarm sounded, but Kai kept running. He sprinted around a corner and spotted what appeared to be the exit. He tore after it, guards leaping away to avoid the flames. He burst out the door and into the early evening light. Behind him, more cries of “STOP!” and “FUGITIVE!” rang out. Kai darted around a corner and extinguished himself.  
“Huh,” he panted. “I didn’t know I could do that.” He felt exhausted, but whether that was from the fire or the running, he didn’t know. ‘Can’t stop now. Gotta get farther away.’ He turned and ran further into the city.  
After making multiple turns in an attempt to shake off any pursuers, Kai finally stopped to rest. ‘Wish I could get these stupid metal things off,’ he thought as he sat in an alley. ‘Bet Adam could do it. But how am I going to find him? That guard said he wasn’t even in the city.’ Kai’s caught his breath and considered his options. ‘Wait a minute! I’m a walking signal flare! I can just light myself on fire and let Adam and Mira find me!’ Kai grinned to himself. ‘Man, fire power is awesome.’

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The gravedigger brought Adam to the entrance of a castle in the center of town. Adam had to whistle. It wasn’t as big as Colrath’s castle, but it wasn’t small either. A pair of guards held up their spears as the gravedigger guided Adam to the entrance.  
“Halt!” the guard on the left cried.  
“State your business,” the one on the right continued.  
“I’ve brought the one! From the prophecy! The boy called Adam!” The guards looked at each other in shock before lifting their spears.  
“Enter!” The gravedigger nodded respectfully at the guards as they passed. Adam followed his example, and the two guards bowed slightly in return.  
“I came as soon as I heard!” A new lizard-creature, seemingly female, approached them. She was wearing a fancy dress with lacy trim and a small tiara with a pale gem set into it. Adam thought she must be some sort of royalty. “Is it true, Chuck? Have you brought the boy?”  
“Lady Magister,” the gravedigger, apparently called Chuck, bowed. “Here he is!” He gestured to Adam, who grinned nervously.  
“Oh, thank the sun!” Lady Magister cried. “Hurry, boy! The king awaits you!”  
She ushered him through the halls, leaving Chuck behind at the door. Adam glanced back at him.  
“Good luck, Adam!” Chuck tipped his hat to him, then walked back out the front entrance.  
Lady Magister lead him to a large, ornate door. She knocked quickly, then opened the door and pulled Adam through after her.  
“Your Highness!” she called as they entered. “Chuck has found the boy called Adam!”  
The room they entered was enormous; Adam looked around in awe. There were floor to ceiling windows between giant tapestries and three ornate thrones against the back wall. Seated on the center throne was the largest lizard-creature Adam had seen so far. His skin was brown and tan in splotchy stripes, his head reminded Adam of an alligator, and his tail was nearly as thick as the rest of his body and longer than Adam was tall. He wore a purple cape and large golden crown.  
‘That must be the king,’ Adam thought. The king leaned forward in his throne and inspected Adam. His expression was impossible to read.  
“You,” the king spoke. “Are you the one they call Adam?” Adam nodded mutely. “Tell me, Adam. How strong are you?”  
“Well, Your Highness,” Adam said, hoping he was being respectful enough. “I once defeated a powerful demon monk called Akuma unarmed.” Now seemed like the time to brag, right? The king blinked down at him.  
“And with your weapon?” He pointed a single long claw at the Ishibo on Adam’s back.  
“Well,” Adam coughed. “My friends and I defeated the dragon Colrath while I wielded the Ishibo.” The king sat back at this. Adam was beginning to wonder if mentioning defeating a dragon in front of a lizard-person was a misstep when the king spoke again.  
“Then, perhaps you are as capable as the prophecy has lead us to believe.” The king smiled. It was unsettling, but not unpleasant. “Come with me.” He rose and walked toward Adam and Lady Magister. “Magister, please remain here.” Lady Magister nodded and stepped away. Adam fell into step beside the king.  
“Sir, what does everyone mean by ‘prophecy?’” Adam asked.  
“It has been prophesied that our great relic, the sunstone would one day be stolen,” the king began without slowing his pace. “Stolen by a boy with white eyes and great power. The sunstone is what keeps my people safe from the terrible winter that threatens to freeze us to death every year. It was created by great wizards eons ago. Now, all the great wizards have died out, leaving no way to defend ourselves from the cold should the sunstone remain in the thief’s grasp.  
“According to the prophecy, a boy called Adam will lead a team of strangers to retrieve our relic. Only that group can defeat the thief and his allies. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing which humans are allies of us, and which are allies of the thief. As such, we have a policy in place to arrest any humans who trespass in our borders. We have one such human in custody now.”  
“Do you think it could be one of my friends?” Adam asked, concerned. He hoped not. He didn’t think either of them would take captivity well.  
“We don’t know. You may go to the prison to find out for yourself, but first...” The king stopped in front of a door and pushed it open. It lead to a study of some sort. The king picked up a book, a medallion on a purple ribbon, and a folded piece of paper from the desk. “You will need these. Here’s a map,” he handed Adam the paper. “The book details the prophecy, and the medallion will show that you and all those with you are under my protection.” Adam slipped the ribbon over his head and tucked the map into the book for safekeeping.  
The king opened his mouth to continue speaking when the door slammed open.  
“Your Highness!” Lady Magister ran into the room. “The prisoner has escaped!” The king turned to Adam.  
“Quickly! You must find the human!” Adam nodded and followed Lady Magister to the castle entrance.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“Here,” Dory handed Mira a bundle of cloth. “This cloak should keep the townspeople from finding you suspicious. Your friend will be with the king now, if Chuck has done his job. You can meet him on his way out.”  
“Thank you, Dory,” Mira smiled. “For everything.”  
“Of course, dear. When you find your friends, bring them back here. I’ll make sure there are beds for them when you return.”  
“I will. Thanks again!” Mira pulled the cloak around her and waved. Then, she slipped out the door into the city. It was evening, by the looks of it. Mira’s destination was the castle that loomed over the city. ‘Don’t worry, Mira,” she thought to herself. ‘Adam is there, maybe Kai, too. There are no dragons.’ She shook the thought from her head and ran for the castle.  
As she approached the entry, she collided head on with someone, and they both hit the ground hard. Mira’s hood fell from her head.  
“Ouch,” groaned a familiar voice.  
“Adam?”  
“Mira?”  
“Adam! You’re okay!” She stood, and pulled Adam to his feet and into a hug.  
“Mira!” He pulled away from the hug. “Are you the one they arrested, then?”  
“Arrested?” Mira gave him a confused look. “No, a lizard-woman named Dory found me. I’ve been with her this whole time.” Adam bit his lip.  
“The king told me they had arrested a human. They don’t know if they’re friend or foe, but they escaped.”  
“You don’t think that it’s Kai, do you?” Mira asked.  
“I don’t know, but either way, we have to find them.” Adam frowned. “And if it’s not Kai, we have to find him, too.”  
Dark fell over Eler as the two searched. They were starting to lose hope of finding anyone. It was a big city, after all, and the escapee would no doubt be moving around to avoid the guards.  
“It’s no use,” Adam groaned. “Maybe we should head back you your friend’s house and rest. Continue our search in the morning?”  
“Maybe...” Mira was only half paying attention to what Adam was saying; she’d caught sight of something. “Adam, look!” He turned and followed her line of sight. A strange light shone from an alleyway far down the street. It moved like...  
“Fire,” Adam whispered. He and Mira locked eyes.  
“Kai!” They took off down the street toward the alley. Rounding the corner, Adam saw Kai sitting on the ground leaning against the stone wall. His whole body was ablaze.  
“Whoa!” Adam skidded to a stop and held out an arm to stop Mira, too.  
“KAI?!” Mira asked. Kai looked up at them.  
“Guys!” he cried, extinguishing himself. Adam and Mira ran up to him. “You have no clue how happy I am to see you two.” Kai closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall as he spoke.  
“We have an idea,” Adam chuckled. He knelt down next to Kai. “Are you alright? You look exhausted.” Adam wished he was exaggerating. Kai had dark bags under his eyes, and he was looking a little pale. There were small cuts on his face, too. Adam placed a hand on his shoulder. He frowned when Kai didn’t respond. “Kai?”  
“He’s asleep,” Mira said. She crouched next to them. “He must’ve worn himself out.” Adam nodded and stood. “Adam, look!” Mira pointed to Kai’s hands. They were encased in weird metal things.  
“I guess he’s the one who escaped from the prison then,” Adam mumbled. Mira looked up at him. “One less person to find, I guess.” He shrugged, then carefully pulled Kai up off the ground. “Where did you say that friend of your lived?” he asked as he lifted Kai up entirely into his arms. “We should get him inside.” Biting her lip, Mira nodded.  
“This way,” she gestured for him to follow. He adjusted his grip on Kai, who had begun snoring, and followed her into the dark street. The city was quiet, the only sound that of bats flying overhead as Adam and Mira brought their friend back to the safety of a friendly house.


	10. Home Base

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get some rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it’s another super short chapter. Soz.

“Poor thing!” Dory guided Adam to a bed where he could leave Kai. “He looks like he’s been through a lot!” Adam set Kai down gently and began exploring the room.  
“Hey, Dory,” Mira called, entering the room. “Any idea how to get those things off him?” Dory looked over the metal and shook her head.   
“Sorry, dear. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Dory replied. Mira sighed, and examined the restraints again.   
“It looks like there’s a hinge here,” she said pointing to the end where Kai’s fingers must be. She ran her finger along the seam. “And here’s a keyhole.”  
“Well,” Dory said, suddenly cheerful. “There’s your solution, then! In the morning, you can bring him to the king to have him unlock it!”  
“I’d rather not wait that long,” Adam admitted, as he returned from the adjacent bathroom. He observed the hinge Mira had mentioned. “Let me try something.” Adam lifted Kai’s right hand slightly and grabbed either side of the metal encasing it, so the seam was centered between his hands.  
He took a deep breath.  
Then he pulled as hard as he could in either direction.  
The metal popped open along the seam like a plastic Easter egg.  
Dory’s jaw dropped, and Mira couldn’t help but giggle at her reaction.  
“Oh my, he’s even stronger than I thought,” Dory murmured as Adam did the same with Kai’s left hand.   
“There,” Adam said. He dusted off his hands and looked up to see Dory gawking at him and Mira suppressing giggles. “What?” Mira shook her head fondly.  
“It’s nothing. We’d better get some rest.” She turned to their host. “Do you mind if we all share one room? After being split up so long, I’d rather keep these two in my sight.” Adam nodded behind her. Dory cleared her throat.  
“Well, I don’t see why not! Young man, could you help me bring some mattresses in here?”  
“Of course.” The two left the room, leaving Mira and Kai alone. Mira let out a sigh.  
“Get some rest, Kai,” she muttered. “We’ve got a lot to talk about tomorrow.


	11. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Adam, Mira, and Kai are able to plan their next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More exposition!

Kai slept in the next morning, but Mira and Adam were up with the sun. When Kai finally did wake up, Dory insisted they eat before discussing their next move.  
“Thinking on an empty stomach is a good way to overlook something important,” Dory had recited. “Besides, I’m sure your friend at least must be starving.” She put her hands on Kai’s shoulders, but quickly pulled away when he tensed up. “Sorry, dear!”  
“It’s no big,” Kai shrugged, though he still seemed on edge. “My shoulder just hurts a little.”  
“Oh my!” Dory cried, looking even more guilty. “Can I have a look?” Kai shrugged again and pulled his collar out so she could see his shoulder. There were four cuts there, small but deep. “The sun above! It’s like someone dug their claws into you!” Kai winced.  
“Yeah, something like that.”  
Dory insisted on cleaning Kai’s injuries after breakfast. Afterward, she was finally content to leave them alone to fill Kai in on what they’d learned.  
“Wait, so they have a prophesy that predicted Reeve and Adam perfectly?” Kai sat on the bed with his arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on his face.  
“Yeah,” Mira answered, wondering where he was going with this.  
“And Adam,” Kai continued, “You’re holding the whole prophesy in your hand?”  
“Uh-huh,” Adam replied. “What’s your point?”  
“Well, why don’t we just read the prophesy and let that tell us what to do next?” Kai suggested. Adam and Mira blinked. That hadn’t occurred to them. Kai grinned triumphantly.  
“Alright,” Adam agreed. “I don’t see why not.” He opened the book and began reading aloud. “It says ‘Beware the boy with eyes of white, for he will steal the relic most vital, the sunstone. He need not touch anything to bend the world to his will and take that which is not his.’”  
“Sure sounds like Reeve,” Mira muttered. Kai and Adam nodded; Adam continued.  
“‘His power will be unmatched but for the boy named Adam, who will lead a team of strangers to retrieve that precious relic.’”  
“Strangers?” Kai asked. “Strangers to you, or strangers to them?”  
“Since it probably means us, I’m gonna go with strangers to them,” Mira smirked and gave Kai a playful push.  
“Fair enough, I guess.”  
“‘The thief with eyes of white will arrive to war with an army of his own armed with magic most evil. The green plague will take our king, but the stranger’s army will prevail with their weapons of impossible strength, and a new king will rise.’” Adam looked up. “That’s it. The rest of the book is full of theories.”  
“Theories?” Mira asked.  
“What kind of theories?” Kai interrupted. Adam flipped through the book’s pages.  
“Stuff like when they think it’ll happen, and what they think we’ll look like. What our weapons will be, etc. None of it is very accurate.”  
“Well, that didn’t work out like I hoped.” Kai sighed. “All we know for sure is that Vanessa and Skeet are here, too. We pretty much figured that.”  
“Well, now we know for sure.” Adam smiled reassuringly. “It was a good plan.”  
“What I don’t understand,” Mira said suddenly, “is how this level works. We had the same objective as the other kids before, but this time...”  
“You’re right,” Adam replied. “It’s like they set the other kids up as villains. Why would they do that?”  
“Wait, seriously?” Kai looked between the two, confused. “You don’t get it? It’s Capture the Flag.”  
“What?” Adam and Mira gave him twin looks of confusion.  
“Every level is just a different skin of Capture the Flag. The Flag in the first level was the Ishibo. Now it’s the sunstone. They probably just have their own base this time, instead of sharing one with us,” Kai said confidently. “We have to bring the sunstone back here before they get it to their ‘base.’”  
“Doesn’t Capture the Flag usually have a flag in each base?” Mira asked.  
“Depends on how you play it,” Kai stubbornly frowned.  
“Kai’s right!” Adam exclaimed.  
“Of course I am,” Kai gloated. Mira smacked his arm.  
“And Mira, I think you might be on to something.”  
“What do you mean?” Mira asked.  
“Before, both teams had the same goal, but now the goals are different. I think the other team’s ‘base’ might have something we need to bring back with us.”  
“But, taking the sunstone hurt the people of Eler,” Mira pointed out.  
“Yeah, I don’t want to steal something someone needs to survive.” Kai pulled his knees up to his chest. “We’re not exactly the villain type, you know.” Adam blinked. He stood slowly.  
“You’re right. I don’t want to hurt anyone we don’t have to.” Adam took a moment to think. “We’ll see what happens. Maybe we won’t have to take anything.”  
“And if we do?” Mira asked. She and Kai looked up at Adam expectantly.  
“One thing at a time,” he replied. He really didn’t know what they should do, but the other two were counting on him, so... “We shouldn’t make any plans unless we know what we’re dealing with, right?”  
“Right.” Mira stood as well and offered Kai a hand.  
“Right,” he said. He took the proffered hand and stood as well.  
“For now, let’s go find the other kids,” Adam suggested. “We’ll figure it out from there.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“I always thought prophecies were supposed to rhyme,” Kai said as they walked out of the bedroom. Mira just shrugged.  
“Dory?” Adam called. Hearing her name, Dory looked up at them from the kitchen table and smiled.  
“Why, hello there,” she chirped. “Are you all on the same page now? Kai, how’s your shoulder feelings?”  
“Better,” Kai replied quietly as Adam spoke up again.  
“We have an idea about what we should do, but we could use your help with the specifics.”  
“Me?” Dory shook her surprise quickly. “Well then, what can I do to help?” Adam spread out the map on the table. Half of it depicted the city and a small stretch of desert around it. The other half was blank, similar to the map from the first level.  
“Do you know what’s beyond the desert here?” Adam pointed to the blank part of the map. Dory frowned and thought for a moment  
“Well,” she murmured. “The only thing out there is the ruins of the wizard’s towers.”  
“What’s that?” Mira asked.  
“The wizards that created the sunstone were strange creatures. They had wings, and feathers instead of scales. The preferred to be high up, and didn’t need warmth like we do. The lived outside the city in these towers, away from the sunstone’s reach.”  
“They made the sunstone for you, even though they didn’t want to be near it?” Kai interrupted. “Why’d they do that?”  
“I’m not an expert, but I hear the wizards and our people were very close. They had something in their towers, something valuable. But it got lost.” Dory looked sadly up at the kids. “They left one-by-one to search for it, but none ever returned. Nobody knows what happened to them.”  
“That’s awful!” Mira cried.  
“The other flag?” Adam wondered under his breath.  
“Ever since then, whenever the sunstone would be moved for any reason, within three days that terrible winter would appear,” Dory concluded. “Nobody knows why.” The kids looked at each other and back at Dory.  
“I bet that’s where Reeve took the sunstone,” Adam proclaimed. “And... I think I might know why. Don’t worry, we’ll bring it back.” With that, he stood and left the house. Dory rose to call to him, and Mira and Kai scrambled to follow.  
“Adam! Wait for us!” Kai cried as they left.  
“Thank you, Dory! We’ll be back!” Mira called.  
“Be careful,” Dory whispered; she slowly sank back into her seat.


	12. Adam’s Theory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam thinks he knows where the other flag is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, the title and summary for this chapter were super tough to think of. I’m still not super happy with them, ngl.

“Adam, wait!” Kai panted. Adam slowed to a stop in the street. “What was all that about?”   
“You know why they took the sunstone?” Mira interjected. Adam turned to face them.  
“They got the wrong flag,” he declared. Kai and Mira gave him confused looks.  
“What do you mean?” Kai began.  
“The valuable something from the towers!” Adam interrupted. “I think it’s here in the city. I bet you the wizards used whatever it is to keep the towers cold, but someone from the city stole it.”  
“Wait, what?” Mira asked. “Why would they do that? The wizards and lizard-people were friends!”  
“I don’t know yet,” Adam said. “But I bet that’s why they never found it. They didn’t believe their allies would steal from them. Someone in Eler is hiding it, and when the sunstone isn’t active, that thing causes winter.”  
“But who would want that?” Kai asked.   
“Dory said the cold would kill them!” Mira reminded him.  
“Well, who stands to gain from this mess?” Adam asked. The others just shook their heads.  
“I don’t know. Nobody I’ve met,” Mira sighed.  
“The guys at the prison were pretty desperate to find the sunstone,” Kai said, rubbing his shoulder with a grimace. “I don’t think they’d be keeping something like that.” Adam thought back to everyone he’d met so far.   
‘The king definitely couldn’t be it. The prophecy said he would die from this; he’d want to give himself more than three days. Chuck? No, he was terrified of the idea of the winter. Obviously not Dory. What about, what was her name?’  
“Lady Magister?” he whispered.  
“Who?” Kai asked.  
“Did you think of someone?” Mira put her hands on Adam’s shoulders. He looked up, but he wasn’t really looking at her.  
“She was definitely royalty, maybe she’s next in line for the throne? That’s motive. But where would she keep...”  
“Adam, you’re scaring me.” Mira pleaded, “Who are you talking about?”  
“THE TIARA!” Adam cried. Mira and Kai both jumped. “Guys, I know who has it! It makes perfect since, too. What’s the opposite of the sun?”  
“The moon?” Kai asked, confused.  
“So the opposite of a sunstone would be-“  
“A moonstone!” Mira interrupted. “But, who has it?”  
“I met a woman in the castle. Lady Magister. I think she has it.” Adam was getting excited now. He began leading the others toward the castle.  
“Wait, what about the other kids?” Kai asked as he fell into step next to Adam and Mira.  
“If we’re going that way, we might as well bring the flag,” Mira pointed out. Kai crossed his arms.  
“I guess.”  
“Kai, stay with us,” Adam insisted. He put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We’ve got to get the moonstone and get to the towers. Dory said the winter would come after three days.”  
“This is day three!” Mira rushed past the boys toward the castle. “Hurry!”  
The three kids took off for the castle. After spending so long planning, they were ready for a real battle at last.   
On the other side of town, a familiar figure ran to the same place.


	13. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam, Mira, and Kai return to the castle for the moonstone.

The kids hit a small snag at the castle entrance.  
“Halt!” cried the guard on the left. He pointed at Kai. “The fugitive!” Both guards pointed their spears at Kai’s chest. Kai leaned back and ignited his hands.  
“I don’t want to fight you guys!” He called. The guards only seemed more agitated. They stepped forward, and Kai raised his hands defensively.  
“STOP!” Mira cried. Adam jumped in front of Kai and held up his medallion.  
“It’s alright! He’s with me!” The guards blinked and took a step back. Kai extinguished his hands, muttering something about how he could’ve handled it. Adam smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder when he stepped back up next to him. “I know you can take them, but this is faster,” he whispered. Kai smirked at him, and Mira stepped forward.  
“We’re here to see the king. We think we’ve figured out how to get the sunstone back!” The guards’ eyes widened and they stepped completely away from the door.  
“By all means,” the guard on the left began.  
“Enter,” the guard on the right concluded. The kids carefully stepped forward. When the guards made no move to stop them, the hurried through the door. A female lizard-person approached them; Adam recognized her instantly. The tiara still rested on her head.  
‘That must be the moonstone.’ Adam thought as he glanced at the pale blue, pearlescent stone. He didn’t let his eyes linger on it long. He didn’t want her to get suspicious.  
“Lady Magister,” Adam greeted with a smile. “I’m glad you’re here!”  
“Young Adam!” she greeted pleasantly. Now that he watched her closely, she seemed a bit fidgety. She adjusted her tiara more frequently than strictly necessary. “A pleasure to see you. Did you need something from me?”  
“Yes, actually. We have an idea of how to retrieve the sunstone!” Adam faked a cheerful attitude. He could only hope his friends were doing the same. “These are my friends, by the way! Kai and Mira.” He gestured to each friend in turn.  
“How did you know we were here?” Kai asked, innocently. It took every ounce of willpower in Adam’s body not to give him a look. They were trying to be inconspicuous! “The guards were with us, after all.” Lady Magister didn’t seem fazed, luckily.  
“Oh, I make it my business to know the castle’s business. Can’t be to careful with that thief still running lose!” She smiled warmly at them, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Now, Adam,” she turned to him. “What did you need me for?”  
“Actually,” Adam began, “you’re right about not being too careful. Can we talk somewhere privately?”  
“Of course!” The nervousness in her expression increased slightly, but it was still discrete enough that the kids wouldn’t have noticed it if they hadn’t been looking for it. “Follow me!” She turned and headed down a hallway. The kids took a moment to glance at each other before following her into a small sitting room. “Here we are!”  
Adam looked around the room with a smile, but didn’t sit. Mira followed his lead, but Kai took a seat on an armchair, thought better of it, and moved to the floor. Just as he stood from the seat, metal bands snapped closed over the space he’d just been occupying.  
“Whoa!” he cried. He stumbled back into Mira and Adam. They caught him and Adam glared at Magister.  
“So, I was right,” he announced. “You are involved in this.” Magister hissed at him, taking a defensive stance. “Am I right to assume that’s the moonstone then?” Her hand rose to her tiara, then fell quickly.  
“I should’ve taken you out when you first arrived!” Magister hissed. She held up a hand and shot a blast of ice at Adam.  
“Not another ice enemy!” Kai cried as Adam ducked the blast. The ice hit the door and froze it shut. The kids turned to see their only exit blocked. Magister let out a hissing laugh and threw another ice blast at Adam.  
“Never turn your back on your enemy, fool!” She screeched. Adam turned as the blast neared.  
“Look out!” Kai and Mira shouted. Kai moved in front of Adam and held up a hand. The blast made contact before he could start a fire, and Kai was encased in ice.  
“KAI!” Adam and Mira both shrieked. But their fear proved unwarranted when, a second later, the ice vaporized as Kai’s entire body ignited momentarily. He stumbled slightly, but didn’t fall.  
“Nice try,” he called to the hissing lizard-woman, as he extinguished all but his hands. “But I’m tougher than I look!” He sent a fire blast her way, and Adam pulled the Ishibo from his back.  
While Magister shot ice blasts that Kai immediately melted and Adam searched for an opening to use the Ishibo, Mira ran to the window.  
“HELP!” she cried. Magister turned at the sound of her shout and sent a blast her way.  
“No one can help you now!” Magister cried. Mira ducked the blast.  
“That’s what you think!” As soon as the words left Mira’s mouth, a small swarm of bats flew through the window. “Phew,” Mira whispered. “I was afraid there weren’t any regular animals here.” The bats flew around Magister’s head, knocking the tiara to the floor. Seeing his opening, Adam swung the Ishibo under Magister’s legs. She fell hard on the carpeted floor, and the bats retreated to the window. Adam slowly approached the enemy. Kai picked up the tiara and ripped the moonstone from it’s setting. He handed it off to Mira, who pocketed it.  
“So,” Adam began, standing over Magister with the Ishibo pointed at her chest. “Do you surrender?” She was quiet for a long moment.  
“NEVER!” she shrieked, lunging forward and catching Adam by the throat. She used one hand to squeeze his neck; the other held Adam’s arm behind his back, keeping the Ishibo still. He tried to move, but she cut of his air for a moment, forcing him to freeze.  
“ADAM!” Kai and Mira took a step forward, Kai lighting his hands, but Magister didn’t even flinch.  
“One more step, and I break his neck!” she threatened. She cut off his air once more to prove her point.  
“Okay,” Kai held up his hands and put out his fire, “just don’t hurt him!” Mira hesitantly lifted her hands as well. In the distance, she swore she heard footsteps getting louder, but movement in front of her drew her attention away.  
“Girl,” Magister spoke, “give me the moonstone, or I kill the boy.” Mira gave Kai a desperate look. She couldn’t just hand it over, but she couldn’t leave Adam to die.  
“Don’t... do... it!” Adam wheezed.  
“Quiet, boy!” Magister tightened her grip on him. “Or I’ll kill you right now!”  
That’s when the ice on the door shattered.


	14. Sibling Rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected ally appears.

“MAGISTER!” A voice boomed from the doorway. Kai and Mira whirled around to see a stranger Kai found familiar. He flinched and held his shoulder. Magister froze for a just moment, but that’s all Adam needed. He wrenched away from the crazy lizard and took a big step back. He put himself between his friends and Magister, while Mira did the same with the stranger who just entered.  
“Alter,” Magister hissed. “Hello, baby brother.” The lizard-man in front of them did not look like a “baby brother” to the kids. He was a lot like Chuck, Adam thought, but larger and tougher looking. He wore armor similar to the palace guards, but his claws were sharper and more menacing. Kai was all too familiar with those claws, and couldn’t help but cower behind Mira a little as the lizard-man called Alter entered the room.  
“Magister, what did you do?” Alter asked, although it read more like an interrogation. Magister laughed.  
“Career advancement,” she replied with a smirk. “And I really don’t need you getting in my way, Alter.” She lunged at her brother with unbelievable speed. He didn’t move from his spot; he just lifted an arm and caught her by the throat.  
“I know you helped the thief, Magister!” he pulled her closer to his face. “I know you tricked me into suspecting the fiery one!” Kai blinked at that. Guess that explains why the scary guy was on their side now. Adam suddenly grabbed his arm, and Kai turned to him.  
“C’mon,” Adam whispered, “we need to find Reeve and the sunstone. Let’s go.” Kai nodded and allowed Adam to lead him and Mira out of the room. Mira whistled as she left, and the bats flew behind her.  
The three kids raced from the castle into the street.  
“What now?” Mira shouted as they ran.  
“We need to head for the towers!” Adam returned. “The others will be there! We need to get the sunstone and put both stones back in their rightful places!”  
“Right!” Mira and Kai called back. The three kids ran for the western end of town, following the sun. They reached the border of Eler and slid to a stop. Far in the distance, a familiar green wall was slowly approaching.  
“But, we haven’t seen any glitching!” Kai protested.  
“Maybe not, but it must’ve been happening,” Adam said. “C’mon! We have to hurry.” The kids resumed their running into the desert, the flickering wall of green growing slowly and menacingly larger as they went.


	15. Battle Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other kids finally make an appearance. Time for a fight!

Kai tripping on a fallen brick signaled their arrival at the tower ruins. Adam checked the map as Mira helped Kai to his feet. The blank half of the map filled in with desert and towers at odd angles, some broken.  
“I guess we’re in the right place.” He observed the surroundings. The ruins were even creepier than the ghost town from before. “Looks like the kind of place the other kids would set up,” Adam noted.  
“What, creepy and abandoned?” Kai asked sarcastically.  
“Exactly,” Mira shot back. “So, where are they?” She looked over Adam’s shoulder at the map. One tower in particular stood out on it. It looked the most intact. She pointed to it. “How about there?”  
“If they think they need to bring the sunstone to the towers,” Kai began, “it would make sense to bring it to the highest point, right?”  
“What do you mean?” Adam said.  
“Well, ignoring that it makes the most sense from a video game standpoint,” Kai said, “being up high would give the thing the widest range possible.”  
“Good point,” Adam said. “That’s where we start, then.”  
The kids made their way toward the center of the ruins. Standing there was the largest tower they’d seen. It was mostly intact, which was reassuring. At least it wasn’t likely to collapse with them in it. The three shared a long look, and Adam nodded. Together they pushed the door open to reveal a long spiral staircase. Kai started grumbling under his breath about climbing stairs, but didn’t slow as they proceeded together. When they reached the top, Adam held a finger to his lips and pressed an ear to the door. The bats roosted farther back out of the way.  
Adam could make out muffled conversation on the other side. He strained to hear what was being said, but he couldn’t hear a word. He leaned back and turned to the others.  
“They’re definitely in there,” he whispered. “Get ready for a fight.” With a push, the door swung ajar. Through the gap, Adam could see Vanessa, Reeve, and Skeet grouped together on the far side of the room, oblivious to the slight opening of the door. Vanessa was ranting about something.  
“You guys are completely useless! I can’t believe neither of you can figure out how to fix a stupid pedestal!”  
“Hey!” Reeve jabbed a finger at her. “It’s not like you’re helping either!”  
“Guys, quit fighting!” Skeet intervened. “We don’t have long until the glitches catch up with us, and I don’t wanna deal with that again!” He looked nervous, but Reeve and Vanessa just scoffed.  
“Relax, would ya?” Vanessa replied. “It’s moving super slowly. It’s probably not gonna get here for another day.”  
“Yeah, that mess is the least of our worries.” Reeve flipped a gem in his hands like a coin. It was gold and sparkled in the limited light. “We haven’t seen the other team yet, and I just know they’re planning something.”  
“Yeah, right,” Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Those guys are too dumb for this. They probably haven’t even found each other yet. I don’t think we have to worry about them.”  
Adam had heard enough. With a nod to Kai and Mira, he threw the door open.  
“Think again!” he cried, wielding the Ishibo. Kai held fire in each hand, and Mira took up a defensive position. The bats swarmed in behind her. For a brief moment, the other kids froze.  
“Attack!” Vanessa screamed. She jumped out the window and took to the air.  
“I got her!” Kai jumped out the window and flew after her.  
“You guys, help Kai! The rest of you take the blond one!” Mira cried, directing the bats to swarm Skeet before he could run. Not that it mattered. The tower room was too cramped for him to run in, anyway. The bats’ attack drove the flailing boy against the wall.  
“Hand over the sunstone!” Adam demanded. Reeve smirked.  
“Make me!” Reeve’s eyes glowed white, and objects around the room took to the air. Books and bottles began pelting Adam as he attempted to advance. With the Ishibo, Adam managed to knock the offending objects out of the air. Growling, Reeve attempted to snatch the Ishibo with telekinesis, but it didn’t respond. “Stupid winning advantage,” Reeve forced Adam to the ground with his power, instead. He growled again when Adam used the Ishibo as a cane to remain standing. He retreated, throwing a desk Adam’s way as he backed against the window. He looked out for a moment; Vanessa was struggling against the combined might of Kai and the bats. He couldn’t count on her for a quick escape. The green wall of glitches loomed ever closer, but Reeve payed it no mind.  
“Reeve, hand over the stone,” Adam demanded again. “You’ve got the wrong one!” he explained. Reeve scoffed.  
“Can’t trick me with that!” He grinned menacingly. “Your friend is the gullible one!” He looked to Skeet for an escape plan, but he was helplessly cornered by bats. Oh, well. Reeve didn’t trust him to not fall on the stairs anyway. He refocused on the fight. Adam looked mad, now.  
“Alright,” Adam very nearly growled, “don’t say I didn’t ask nicely.” He rushed forward faster than Reeve was prepared for and slammed the Ishibo into his side. Reeve flew into the tower wall. He hung there for a moment, then fell to the ground. The sunstone fell from his grasp. Adam picked it up and smiled. ‘Mira!” She looked up. “Call off the bats! We got it!” She nodded and whistled again.  
“Thanks for your help,” she smiled to them. “Gather your friends on the way out, please.” The bats squeaked pleasantly back and flew out the window. Kai landed inside a moment later, followed by a harried looking Vanessa.  
“Let’s get out of here,” Vanessa called. She lifted the unconscious Reeve by the arm. Skeet nodded and dashed down the stairs. “Good luck solving this one!” Vanessa sneered. With that, she flew out the window with Reeve in tow. Adam, Mira, and Kai stood alone in the tower room.  
“What do you think she meant by that?” Kai wondered aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not well versed in fight scenes, so please forgive the brevity. And if anyone has advice, I’d love to hear it!


	16. Point and Click

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids have to put the moonstone in place to continue, but where does it go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This bit is loosely based on point-and-click escape room games. Thus, the title.

The kids stood around a strange metal pedestal in the center of the room. It was in pretty rough shape. The edges were jagged, and pieces were missing, most notably a oval shaped piece in the center of the pedestal.   
“Think you can fix it?” Adam turned to Kai.  
“I fixed a spider mutant, a space ship, and a teleporter,” Kai gloated. “I can handle a little pedestal.” His face fell into a more serious expression. “See if you can find any pieces that look like they belongs to this.” Mira and Adam nodded and began searching the room.  
In a desk drawer, Mira found an odd looking piece of metal that appeared to match one of the gaps. Adam found another tucked into a hollow book. Another piece was hidden under some papers on the desk, another on top of the bookshelf, and another in a beaker on what appeared to be a lab table. Kai was able to repair most of the damage easily while Mira and Adam searched for the missing pieces. With the remaining parts, he made the pedestal look as good as new. All that was missing was the last piece.   
“Mira,” Kai called, “give me the moonstone.”   
“Oh, right!” She pulled out the stone in question and handed it to Kai. He observed it for a moment and nodded. Carefully he slipped the gem into the empty elliptical slot on the top of the pedestal.  
For a second, nothing happened. Then, a bright blue beam of light shot into the sky. Kai jumped back, barely dodging the beam before it shot through a skylight in the ceiling and into the clouds.  
“Whoa,” he cried, as he stumbled backward. Adam caught him by the shoulders and helped him stand back up.  
“One down,” Adam murmured.   
“Look!” Mira pointed out the window. The wall of green had gotten dangerously close now. The three kids shared a quick look before bolting for the door. The sprinted down the stairs with minimal stumbling and ran for the exit. Not long after they passed through it, the glitchy wall began to consume the tower.   
“RUN!” Adam yelled. The three took off for the edge of Eler. On the outskirts, they ran into a familiar giant lizard. Familiar, that is, to Adam. The king held out a hand to stop them.  
“Young Adam! What in the name of the sun is happening?”  
“We don’t have time to explain, Your Highness!” Adam cried. “We found the sunstone, but we need to hurry!” The king nodded.  
“Quickly then! To the castle!”  
The four of them began to sprint for the center of town, the terrible glitching not far behind.  
The king lead the charge to the entry of the castle, but stopped short when screaming began to sound from the western end of town. The glitching had reached the borders of Eler.  
“I have to evacuate the people,” the king informed the kids, “In the center of the castle, there is a stairway. It will lead you to the sunstone chamber. Alter can take you there if you need him.”  
“You can’t go back that way!” Mira cried.  
“You’ll be destroyed by that green wall!” Kai grabbed the king’s arm. “Don’t do it!”  
“It is as the prophecy foretells,” the king explained sadly, “I am meant to die by the green plague. Magister or Alter will take my place. I cannot abandon my people.” Adam put a hand on Kai’s shoulder.  
“We understand. We’ll return the sunstone. I promise.” Kai reluctantly let go of the king’s arm. The king smiled down at the children before him.  
“Good luck. Farewell.” Then, he ran for the western border of Eler, and the advancing green wall.  
“C’mon,” Adam urged. “Let’s go.” The three of them ran into the castle.


	17. The Sunstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the sunstone is returned.

“Young ones! Over here!” The kids turned to see Alter approaching them. Other than a few scratches, he seemed unharmed. “Have you retrieved the sunstone?” They nodded, and Adam held the stone out for Alter to see. The lizard-man grinned at them. “Excellent! Where is the king?”  
“Gone,” Mira hung her head.  
“And we’ll all be joining him soon if we don’t hurry!” Kai interrupted. Alter frowned, but nodded.  
“Of course. Follow me.” He lead the three kids through a maze of hallways to a stairway. “The thief entered through a window. Magister told him which one to use,” Alter explained in a somewhat bitter tone when Kai questioned how Reeve could navigate these halls alone. “We’re here.” The stairs stretched high into the castle. “I’ll stand guard over the door. Hurry!” Adam, Mira, and Kai nodded in unison and bolted up the stairway.   
After a long and strenuous climb, the group found themself in a chamber similar to the tower room. The pedestal in the center of this room was largely intact, but Kai took a quick moment to examine it anyway.  
“It’s functional,” Kai reported. Adam approached the pedestal. The green wall moved ever closer.  
“Here goes nothing,” Adam cried. Mira reached over and put a hand over the stone.  
“All together,” she insisted. Kai nodded, and put his hand over Mira’s and Adam’s.  
“This will either kill us or save us,” Kai remarked. “I don’t wanna be left out, either way.”  
“Alright,” Adam said, “On three. One.”  
The wall of green hit the end of Dory’s street.  
“Two.”  
The sunstone felt warm as it moved nearer the pedestal.  
“THREE!” The three kids slammed the stone into place. Immediately, the stone grew brighter and brighter, filling first the room, then the whole city, then the desert and ruins beyond with blinding light. Kai, Mira, and Adam screamed in panic. The stone glowed impossibly brighter, then the light narrowed to a single beam shooting straight into the air, and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s another short chapter! But at least this one is exciting, right?


	18. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game ends.

Kai, Mira, and Adam awoke in beds. Adam sat up first.  
“Kai, Mira! Are you alright!” Twin groans sounded from the other beds. Mira stretched and carefully pulled herself upright.  
“Keep it down, will ya?” Kai called, sleepily. “I’m trying to sleep.” Mira and Adam shared a look and chuckled. Kai blinked, then sat straight up. “Wait, did we do it? Are we out!?”  
The three looked around. They were still in The Hollow, it seemed. They appeared to still be in the castle, too. Before anyone could speak, Alter rushed into the room.  
“You’re awake!” he cried. “I’ve had a woman here looking to speak with you for hours!” Dory pushed her way past him desperately.   
“Oh, thank the sun you three are alright!” she cried. She hugged Mira, who was closest. “You did it! Eler is saved!”  
“What about the gli- ‘green plague?’” Adam asked.  
“Gone!” Dory announced. “The light of the sunstone mixed with a strange light from the ruins. The plague vanished!”  
“Good thing we went for the moonstone,” Kai gulped. Adam gave him a smile that was only a little smug.  
“This is all well and good,” Mira remarked, pulling away from Dory, “but how are we supposed to get home? I thought saving Eler would be enough.”  
“Yeah,” Kai said, “and I thought the other kids were responsible for the glitching. How did the stones stop it?”  
“The thief?” Alter asked. “He and his accomplices were expelled with the light of the sunstone!”   
“I think...” Adam began, “I think the game needed to be beaten completely to reset, or maybe the sunstone and moonstone acted as a sort of antivirus?”  
“Oh, I get it!” Kai exclaimed. “The stones removed the cause of the virus along with the virus itself. That’s why the other kids left before us!”  
“But how do we get out?” Mira asked. “I hope we don’t have another boss battle after all that!” A shudder went through all three kids at that. Adam took a moment to think.  
“We could try the same way we got in.” The others looked confused for a moment. Just as Adam was thinking he’d have to spell it out for them, a sudden look of realization crossed their faces, and they nodded.  
The three kids said their goodbyes to Alter and Dory and made their way outside the castle. Once they were out of sight of any lizard-people, Kai called out:  
“Help, please!”  
“Well, hello again!” Weirdy smiled at them.  
“Please tell me we don’t have another boss battle,” Mira pleaded. Weirdy laughed.  
“Nope! All you have to do is head to the east of the city, and you’ll find the way out.”  
“What, no crazy strength-draining portal?” Adam asked semi-sarcastically.  
“Not this time!” Weirdy grinned and vanished. Mira, Adam, and Kai shared a look and a shrug. They navigated to the eastern border of the city. This side of Eler was walled, for some reason.   
Set in the wall was an ornate gate with a pedestal next to it. There was a hole in the pedestal waiting for a key of some sort. After a moment of observing, Adam removed the Ishibo from his back and inserted it into the pedestal. The Ishibo sunk entirely into the podium and the gate swung open. On the other side was a familiar looking portal. Adam, Mira, and Kai nodded to each other and stepped through the portal together.   
On the other side, they once again found themselves in the white cinderblock bunker from the beginning of the game. Another pedestal rose from the floor with yet another green button sitting on top.  
“This better be for real this time!” Kai yelled to the ceiling before holding his hand over the button.  
“I’m sure it is,” Mira said optimistically and placed her hand over Kai’s.  
“I hope you’re right,” Adam murmured, as he put his hand over his friends’. “On three. One.”  
He looked up at his friends. They nodded.  
“Two.”  
All three turned their attention back to the button in front of them. It glinted in the fluorescent light of the bunker.  
“THREE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my beautiful disaster. I’m not much of a writer, but this story was one of those you just have to write out, you know? I hope you enjoyed, and let me know if I made any glaring mistakes! :—)


End file.
